Scientists believe this decreased absorption may be due to the ingredient’s higher ash and lower essential amino acid content.2

What’s worse, this particular item is anonymous. It doesn’t even specify the source animal.

Even though meat and bone meals are still considered protein-rich meat concentrates, we do not consider a generic ingredient like this a quality item.

The fifth ingredient is animal fat. Animal fat is a generic by-product of rendering, the same high-temperature process used to make meat meals.

Since there’s no mention of a specific animal, this item could come from almost anywhere: restaurant grease, slaughterhouse waste, diseased cattle — even (although unlikely) euthanized pets.

We do not consider generic animal fat a quality ingredient.

After the egg and chicken flavor, we find chicken by-product meal, a dry rendered product of slaughterhouse waste. It’s made from what’s left of a slaughtered chicken after all the prime cuts have been removed.

In a nutshell, chicken by-products are those unsavory leftovers usually considered “unfit for human consumption”.

On the brighter side, by-product meals are meat concentrates and contain nearly 300% more protein than fresh chicken.

In any case, although this item contains all the amino acids a dog needs, we consider chicken by-products an inexpensive, lower quality ingredient.

The seventh ingredient is corn germ meal, a meal made from ground corn germ after much of the oil has been removed. Corn germ meal is a protein-rich by-product left over after milling corn meal, hominy grits and other corn products.

The eighth ingredient is corn gluten meal. Gluten is the rubbery residue remaining once corn has had most of its starchy carbohydrate washed out of it.

And less costly plant-based products like this can notably boost the total protein reported on the label — a factor that must be considered when judging the actual meat content of this dog food.

The ninth ingredient is the controversial food moisturizer, propylene glycol. Propylene glycol has been banned by the FDA for use in making cat food.

But it can still be found in some lower quality dog foods.

From here, the list goes on to include a number of other items.

But to be realistic, ingredients located this far down the list (other than nutritional supplements) are not likely to affect the overall rating of this product.

With seven notable exceptions…

First, animal digest is a chemically hydrolyzed mixture of animal by-products that is usually sprayed onto the surface of a dry kibble to improve its taste.

Next, sugar is always an unwelcome addition to any dog food. Because of its high glycemic index, it can unfavorably impact the blood glucose level of any animal soon after it is eaten.

In addition, we’re always disappointed to find artificial coloring in any pet food. That’s because coloring is used to make the product more appealing to humans — not your dog. After all, do you really think your dog cares what color his kibble is?

Next, garlic oil may be a controversial item. We say “may be” here because we are not certain of the oil’s chemical relationship to raw garlic itself.

Although most experts favor the ingredient for its numerous health benefits, garlic (in rare cases) has been linked to Heinz body anemia in dogs.3

However, the limited professional literature we surveyed provided no definitive warnings regarding the use of garlic — especially when used in small amounts (as it likely is here).

Furthermore, this recipe also contains menadione, a controversial form of vitamin K linked to liver toxicity, allergies and the abnormal break-down of red blood cells.

Since vitamin K isn’t required by AAFCO in either of its dog food nutrient profiles, we question the use of this substance in any canine formulation.

We find no mention of probiotics, friendly bacteria applied to the surface of the kibble after processing to help with digestion.

And lastly, the minerals listed here do not appear to be chelated. And that can make them more difficult to absorb. Non-chelated minerals are usually associated with lower quality dog foods.

Purina Be Happy Dog Food
The Bottom Line

Judging by its ingredients alone, Purina Be Happy looks like a below-average dry dog food.

But ingredient quality by itself cannot tell the whole story. We still need to estimate the product’s meat content before determining a final rating.

When you consider the protein-boosting effects of the soybean meal, corn germ meal and corn gluten meal, this looks like the profile of a kibble containing just a limited amount of meat.

Bottom line?

Purina Be Happy is a plant-based kibble using a limited amount of generic meat and bone meal as its main source of animal protein, thus earning the brand 1 star.

Not recommended.

A Final Word

The descriptions and analyses expressed in this and every article on this website represent the views and opinions of the author.

The Dog Food Advisor does not test dog food products.

We rely almost entirely on the integrity of the information posted by each company on its website. As such, the accuracy of every review is directly dependent upon the quality of the test results from any specific batch of food a company chooses to publish.

Although it's our goal to ensure all the information on this website is correct, we cannot guarantee its completeness or its accuracy; nor can we commit to ensuring all the material is kept up-to-date on a daily basis.

Each review is offered in good faith and has been designed to help you make a more informed decision when buying dog food.

However, due to the biological uniqueness of every animal, none of our ratings are intended to suggest feeding a particular product will result in a specific dietary response or health benefit for your pet.

“Mycotoxins are a group of toxins produced by mold found in grains, a major ingredient in Beneful. Mycotoxins pose a health risk to dogs and consumer complaints on Beneful report symptoms consistent with mycotoxin poisoning, according to the lawsuit. Cereghino said he and his team plan to collect further data and perform testing of the products for toxins.”

Sandy Bell

WOW I had no idea this was so bad…my dogs really liked it too.They were so picky, could never find a dry food they would eat. after they pulled it from the store I bought it from, I couldn’t find it anywhere till I ran across it at the cheapo store “Big Lots” bought a bunch of it, then my dogs quit liking it.
I finally found a food at Costco they just love love!!! Grain free Kirkland Natures Domain…turkey/sweet potato it is rated 3 1/2 stars so I feel much better about them eating this instead of “be happy”. The food they eat is very important to me.

Sarah Beaupre

I appreciate your reply, but I never said I feed this to my dogs.

http://sconniedogs.webs.com/ Sconnie Dogs

American Natural Premium is a cheap way to feed your dog a better dog food. The original tends to be full of gravy, but the grain free ones are amazing. If you’re not concerned about price, Orijen and Holistic Select are the best dog foods you could buy. They are pricier, but much better for your dog.

Marlina Reed

I have a very picky eater and when I say picky eater i mean he turns his nose up to everything….. he has gone days without a bite because he is so picky… he loved “purina be happy” dog food I really don’t like the ingredients in this dog food but he does.I have spent so much money on dog food in the last couple of days than.I have the last 3 months (not that I dont feed him much I buy a big bag and it lasts him about 3months he is 6lb. Chihuahua.) I don’t like giving him table scraps but I dont like seeing him go with out even more…. please bring “purina be happy” dog food back on the shelves… -sincerely concerned Cocoa owner.

dee

I had my dog for 3 yrs and I couldn’t get her to eat anything but this BEHAPPY beef ..my husband and I wasted hundreds of dollars on other dry foods and she wouldn’t eat for days now they have discontinued the ONLY thing I could get her to eat what am I supposed to do now .

Sarah Beaupre

Finally found proof that this line WAS discontinued… it was announced May 15 2014, so just after this article was last updated. I’ve still finding the beef version in grocery stores and on big box websites.

this crap chicken flvr killed my sweet dog in 2 bags she liked it too she was desperately thirsty so so thirsty by the time I figured it out she was lethargic dehydrated avomiting brown water could barley stand I had vet apt on a mon mornins sat up trying to sooth her all night she died it was horrific to know that this crap shut down her kidneys n killed her she had no health issues she was happy healthy and snuggly energetic deer chiuaua she should not have died like this please don’t feed her purina china crap

LabsRawesome

I hope you’re not feeding this to your dog. If so PLEASE read the above review. If you would like a list of budget friendly foods with good ingredients, let me know.

Sarah Beaupre

Does this food still exist? I haven’t seen it on grocery store shelves in a while, and I’m not finding its website, either.

Riah

My parents had been feeding our family kelpie this for years. I recently switched my own dog to a higher quality dog food and suggested it to my parents since it is around the same price. The kelpie was loosing weight quickly as she aged and was not doing well health wise on this food. When I finally read the ingredients I was horrified to find that it has little to no meat and is all corn. Not to mention how horrid the purina factory in my town smells. Never again will I be purchasing any food from purina. My kelpie is much happier and healthier on her new food. I am dissapointed that this is allowed to be sold.

Angela Nastase

I bought this food and ended up returning it to the store because when I opened the bag it had the most foul odor ever. It smelled so rancid I almost gagged. I am sure my dog would have enjoyed it since she’s been known to munch on old road kill…but I couldn’t handle it. I would not recommend this dog food unless you want your house to smell like a sewer.

LabsRawesome

There aren’t any ingredients in this “food” to Be Happy about!!! Just full of terrible ingredients. And then they add sugar to the mix, to get the poor dogs addicted to this crap. Purina should be ashamed.

ollie

i had my jack Russell on this be happy(beef flavor) little over a month and has puked about 4 times in the last week DO NOT BUY THIS FOOD. needless to say he is now off of it and will be taking my other dog off the benefull he has puked twice. no more purina produts for them.

We bought a bag of this several weeks ago, and both dogs vomitted 2 days in a row and we threw it out. We had been feeding Beneful, but thanks to comments on here, we have taken all Purina products, cat, dog, wet, dry back to the store. We needed food in a hurry, so we picked up some 4 Health Grain Free, and we’ll see how that goes. I’d like to know more about homemaking food, and I saw someone had posted a link to a lady that has a website about making food. Anybody recall anything about that?

I’ve fed my dogs baked chicken and rice for years, My pug lived to age 16 and my pekenese, who was born with a heart problem will be 14 in June 2013. Give it a try. It will cost you a little more but at least you will have control on the ingredients your dog consumes.

ValerieNoyes

This food just might be worse than Beneful and Ol’ Roy. Please move your dog to at least a 3-4 star food. This is truly trash. She’s getting into her older years now and really needs good nutrition to live a long and happy life.

Bob K

Afringwald1 – Did you read the detailed review above? If your kids only wanted to eat Ice cream and candy would you let them?

Afringwald1

Be Happy dog food is the only dog food that I have found that my dog will eat without coaxing her to eat. She is eight years old and enjoys this dog food.

Dave’s Hounds

There is a much larger rabbit for food industry in China, France and Italy. The latter are obviously much more expensive then China. I don’t feed NV Rabbit anymore – but I do use Wysong Rabbit and Grandma Lucy’s Pureformance Rabbit. Both US sourced.

losul

oh sheesh. You just as well have asked if you should continue allowing your dogs to chase and dodge cars, swim in sewage ponds, and play with rattlesnakes. Because they get mad if you won’t let them.

Pattyvaughn

My kids actually love candy bars and would get mad if I didn’t let them have them. I sure don’t let them make a meal out of them, and certainly not every meal. This food is like a candy bar with food dyes added. I would do anything to break their addiction to this food, and it is an addiction.

Hound Dog Mom

Well I can tell you this, if this was the only food my dogs liked then they’d just have to starve themselves because I’d never feed it to them. I can assure you that if you get a better quality food you dogs will eventually eat when they’re hungry enough. Try adding canned to a high quality food that usually gets picky dogs to eat. What other foods have you tried that they wouldn’t eat?

Tberry

What do you do when both of your dogs actually LOVE a food that is obviously not of the best quality? Our two dogs literally get MAD when this food is not placed in there bowls. One will not eat for a couple of days if for some reason our store does not have this brand…..

http://twitter.com/wrapriot Wrap Riot!

This was extremely helpful. A friend of mine is having allergy issues with her dog and she had just bought this food – I’m a vet tech and after reading this review I’ve sent her back to the store for a different brand. Just looking at the packaging it is clear that this food is marketed to HUMANS not dogs.

Pattyvaughn

Just like Chinese workers, Chinese rabbits are cheaper. And the almighty dollar is the one deciding factor.

Melissaandcrew

I just don’t see why they have to go out of the US at all for rabbit. Really, I can not imagine a US rabbit shortage..

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1140685339 Betsy Greer

Received this in an from Nature’s Variety regarding rabbit sourcing:

“The rabbit protein we use in our raw diet is from China. The rabbit in our canned is sourced from Italy and China, while the rabbit in our kibble is from France. We employ a U.S. educated food scientist in China to oversee our rabbit sourcing. All rabbit protein is tested before shipment from China and again after it arrives in the U.S. for processing into our raw diet. We are very confident in how we handle our sourcing from China. We source most of our ingredients from the U.S. and turn to other locations only as needed. We are very stringent on our sourcing and have good relationships built with our vendors for quality ingredients.”

Melissaandcrew

Betsy-

Its been a while since I looked at their faq’s, but it has changed. It used to specify where the rabbit in the kibble came from. SInce I have used it, I figured it could not be China(at least not at that time). France does sound familiar however!

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1140685339 Betsy Greer

I swear I just read that letter this week on DFA. Although the Nature’s Variety website doesn’t address rabbit sourcing for kibble, here’s what it says regarding rabbit sourcing for raw and canned: “At Nature’s Variety, our nutritional philosophy is to source the highest quality, safest, and most nutritious ingredients in the world. We look for our ingredients domestically first. In the case of rabbit meat, we’ve found that the best supply of high quality, human grade rabbit is found in China. Therefore, we are currently sourcing rabbit meat specifically for our raw and canned rabbit diets from a trusted supplier in China. To help ensure that our strict quality and safety standards are rigorously enforced, this rabbit meat is regularly inspected and monitored by the PhD food scientist we have on staff. Additionally, members of the Nature’s Variety leadership team have personally visited and inspected the facility in China. We also employ extra testing (at an independent lab in the United States) to ensure that the rabbit is nothing short of our strictest standards for quality and nutrition.”

Melissaandcrew

Not all the rabbit-its one variety -I just can not recall if it was the canned, raw or dry-I don’t think its the dry though

Melissaandcrew

Nope, not me : ) Last time I looked though, their website specified where the rabbit came from in each variety(canned,raw,kibble)

InkedMarie

Not me, maybe Melissaandcrew?

InkedMarie

No, Preference is the one you must add your own meat to.
Zeal is their fish food

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1140685339 Betsy Greer

Someone, maybe InkedMarie, posted a letter she received from Nature’s Variety and at the time the letter was written , the rabbit in the kibble was actually sourced in France. I believe some of the rabbit in their other products (canned & raw) was sourced elsewhere (China and possibly Italy).

That was full of lots of uncertainties.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1140685339 Betsy Greer

I’m not certain, but I think Zeal is the HK base you add your own fresh meat to. I’d also take a look at Darwin’s if you haven’t already. Darwin’s is prepared / frozen raw. It’s fantastic.

Dave’s Hounds

Sasha I believe that only the rabbit is sourced in China. I would recommend ziwipeak or Grandma Lucy’s purefrormance. I use both

Sorry, I should have asked if there is a rating for the Raw food ‘mixes’- mentioned in this thread. They are a mix that you add fresh meat to. I’ve been paying a ton for NV Instinct, only to find out that some of it’s meats are sourced in China—I give up !!

Will you be rating the commercial frozen raw foods anytime soon? If not, can you give tips on what we should be looking for?

InkedMarie

Peg Brier-Lyons, I have never dealt with a dog with IBS but I feed Darwins and it is a wonderful product. As others have said, it is shipped to you. You get it within a month from when it was made so it is very fresh. The company is wonderful to work with.

Shawna

Peg Brier-Lyons ~~ Darwins is a raw food that is balanced, lower in fat while still being high protein and of high quality. It’s not something that can be found at pet stores though. It has to be ordered direct from Darwins website or customer service dept. They ship anywhere in the US and have an introductory offer of 10 pounds of food for $14.95 with free shipping. They have novel proteins like duck and bison (however the bison is not available in the intro offer – duck is). Lots of the raw feeders here on DFA use it — myself included

My dog with IBD (similar but different then IBS) does prefectly fine on raw foods. However, if you are concerned you could always use recipes for cooked home made foods too.. Darwins uses apple cider vinegar to control any possible bacteria that may have contaminated the food during processing — plus good processing practices to minimize exposure to begin with…

Also check out the product called SeaCure or SeaVive. May be very beneficial in helping heal your Bassets gut.

Here’s Darwins website link if you are interested in going that route (or checking it out at least :).. http://www.darwinspet.com/

PS — kibble is hard to recommend as most ingredients within the kibbled foods have some protein and it is not always the meat protein in the food that is the problem. Sometimes its the potato, or the pea etc… I have a friend that raw feeds and one of her dogs reacts to the protein in green beans..

aimee

Hi Peg Brier-Lyons,

Sorry to hear about your dog. My own dog had bloody diarrhea and vomiting until I changed him to Royal Canin venison/potato. He is now doing very well. I just had his albumin levels done and they are very good.

You dog though likely has more severe problems than mine, if you vet is recommending a hydrolyzed protein diet please consider it. If you go to the reviews on Hill’s Z/D and Purina HA you will see that people have had great success using these products with there very ill dogs. The story by Jewel on the Purina HA thread is particularily touching. It was posted over a year ago so you’ll have to bit of scroling to find it.

Personally I’m reserved about using a raw diet in a dog with such a compromised system. A healthy dog can handle the bacteria in a raw diet. I’m not so sure such an ill dog can do the same.

Good Luck

Hound Dog Mom

Hi Peg Brier-Lyons –

A homemade raw diet could easily be formulated to be high protein, low fat, and use a novel protein. That’s the best part about homemade, you control the ingredients so you can make it fit the needs of any dog.

I make my dogs’ diet from scratch: 80% Meat (80% muscle meat, 10% organ meat, 10% bone) and 20% steamed and pureed veggies. I then add whole foods supplements (kelp, alfalfa, spirulina, etc.), vitamin e, fish oil, unfiltered apple cider vinegar, and ocassionally extras like eggs, cottage cheese and goat’s milk. I feed an even rotation of red meat and poultry. It’s pretty easy once you get the hang of it and I can promise if you try it it will be the healthiest thing you can do for your dog.

Some good homemade diet resources are: dogaware.com and the diet section of leerburg.com. Steve Brown’s “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet” is great too – it has recipes.

If you still aren’t comfortable making your own, there are premade options (pricey though), grinds (proper mix of muscle/organ/bone you add supplements) and premixes (like thk’s preference, urban wolf, and sojos) where you just add meat.

Peg Brier-Lyons

My 11 year old Basset Hound has been diagnosed with IBS. She is not absorbing albumin. After trying a series of high quality foods (with the gradual phase in and use of the food long enough to give it a chance to work, i.e. a long and frustrating journey) that didn’t make a difference in her “numbers”‘ we finally got some good numbers using Imuran and Lotus Duck dry food. She just had her 6-month check up and her numbers are bad again. My vet recommends Royal Canin, which I know is not a good food. Previously he’d recommended Science Diet (!) He’s clueless, but I don’t know what to do, either. Vet says we need to get her protein up and her fat down. She needs a food with a unique protein souce that’s grain-free. Raw food sounds like a viable way to go, but I don’t really know enough about it. My vet doesn’t like it, of course. Any suggestions for me?

Wturn

price

Hound Dog Mom

My vet told me Purina was the best too…ughh. Fed my oldest dog Beneful until he was three not knowing any different. Vets don’t always know best!

InkedMarie

First, don’t listen to your vet in regards to nutrition unless it’s a serious medical issue. They don’t get a whole heck of a lot of schooling on nutrition. Second, you have smart dogs! What are you feeding them now? Do you need advice on foods?

Bob K

kristin – Did you transition your dog slowly to this new food? What was your dog eating previously? Why the change? Is this the best you can afford for your dog? There are many affordable dog foods available, using this website as your guide and a little comparison shopping, I suspect you can do better.

BryanV21

I don’t think it’s just his digestive system, but his entire body say “please help me”. There’s not a single ingredient in this food that I’d feel good feeding to my dog.

I don’t care what the price is, if it’s not good for you then it doesn’t matter. Nor does it matter if the dog loves the taste of it. Kids love McDonald’s, but are you going to feed that to them day in and day out? I really hope not. Same thing with me and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

You can get a good dog food for not much more than this. I saw 15 pound bag for $15 here online, and the “expensive” foods only cost $2-3 more than that. And seeing how you’re don’t have to feed as much as the good food, as it doesn’t have filler like corn in it, then the cost difference doesn’t matter. Not to mention having a healthier dog is cheaper too.

BTW, this isn’t even the best Purina food. Not that that’s saying much, as I wouldn’t recommend any Purina food. Just saying.

kristin

I always buy purina. Vet said it was the best “non expensive” food. If we couldn’t afford the good stuff to get purina. My dogs have always done well on Purina and are healthy. We bought this – “Happy Dog” that sounds good. The dog ate it in under 1 minute. I couldn’t believe how fast he ate it. Then the foulness, “What’s that smell?????” “Ugh… what’s that smell??” this dog has NEVER had stinky gas. Never again…. his digestive system is telling us “Please help me!”

ohnoesaz

Hmmmm… I was hungry and about to eat despite already having eaten dinner. That’s guaranteed weight gain waiting to happen. Thanks to this article, I’m no longer hungry! Woohoo!

Puglady1827

My boyfriend only bought this food because we were short on money and it was cheap. NEVER AGAIN. It make both of our pugs vomit for days.

Pattyvaughn

Mike needs a 0* category for this. It’s nearly vegetarian.

Hound Dog Mom

Wow, I thought Beneful and Dog Chow were as bad as it got…but Purina actually managed to formulate something worse. Beneful and Dog Chow actually have a meat ingredient second on the list…a meat ingredient doesn’t come in until fourth on the list here. They incorporated some propylene glycol into this too, not in Beneful or Dog Chow…nice. Shame on Purina.

Vlcheka

OMG Purina has taken Beneful and given it a different name. That’s pretty sneaky of them. I despise Purina.

Alexandra

So, this is the key to happiness?? Poison….

http://www.dfwpugs.com/ sandy

How can one trust a company that makes this #$&%$ and also makes prescription foods???

Pattyvaughn

Unfortunately, I’m not the least bit surprised. And a great gob of people will buy it.

LabsRawesome

Purina should be ashamed of themselves, seriously.

http://www.prairie-creations.com/ Krissy

*sigh* why is it not surprising to find out their new food is rated 1 star. I wonder when they will learn….. I know the answer is never since they think with their pocketbook and the health of the animal. But still a girl can still dream right?

Melissaandcrew

Awww Sandy-I don’t see why..after all it is called “Be Happy”, lol.

http://www.dfwpugs.com/ sandy

Can’t believe Purina came up with THIS as their NEW food? I’m boycotting Nestle Purina for animal and people food.